Godfrey Argent; nice Telegraph obitiuary (royal photographer)
Hyfler/Rosner
(Filed: 20/06/2006) Telegraph
Godfrey Argent, the portrait photographer who died on June 1
aged 69, enjoyed a fruitful period as photographer of the
Royal Family.
Born at Eastbourne on February 6 1937, Godfrey Argent was
educated at Bexhill Grammar School before entering the Royal
Horse Guards, Household Cavalry, as a Corporal of Horse.
Although he made no notable contribution to military service
during his nine years with the regiment, Argent developed a
love of portrait photography, won the British Army
Photographic Competition and became an associate member of
the Royal Photographic Society.
He also photographed the Colonel, Field Marshal Sir Gerald
Templer, who advised him that his photography was going to
serve him better than life as a soldier. As Argent recalled,
Templer said: "Don't get to my age and then regret what you
might have been."
Argent took this advice, despite having a wife and three
daughters to support. Templer recommended him to the Crown
Equerry, Sir John Miller, who commissioned him to photograph
the Royal Mews for a guidebook. Argent was pleased, and at
the same time daunted: "You have no idea how boring and
tricky it is making sure that [the horses'] ears are all
pointing in the right direction and their tack is correct."
This led to his spell as a royal photographer, when he was
assigned to illustrate Judith Campbell's book, The Queen
Rides. Both author and photographer had unparalleled access
to the Queen, Campbell being allowed to record her on tape
and Argent to obtain intimate shots of her and her family
riding and walking at Balmoral; there was a memorable image
of the Queen in Guards uniform about to feed her police
horse before the Birthday Parade.
In turn this led to Argent's taking birthday portraits of
the Prince of Wales at 18, Princess Anne at 16 and having
one of his photographs used for a royal Christmas card. It
also led to perhaps his most extraordinary royal sitting in
1967, when he was dispatched to the King Edward VII Hospital
for Officers to photograph Prince Philip's mother, Princess
Andrew of Greece.
The Princess had lately moved from Greece to live at
Buckingham Palace, where she fell ill with bronchitis.
Presumably, there was a fear that she might not survive; so
on royal instructions, on September 22 1967, Argent
presented himself at the hospital.
The Princess, who was usually attired as a nun, emerged from
her bed in a dressing gown and sat in a chair; she struck a
variety of different poses, and after 20 minutes the session
was over. During the sitting, there was no conversation
between photographer and subject.
Once the session was over, the Princess returned to bed. The
Prince of Wales had the photograph on his desk at Cambridge,
and it is still displayed in certain royal homes.
Argent's royal photography ceased just as suddenly as it had
begun, but he continued as a portrait photographer; and,
like Lord Snowdon and Cecil Beaton, he was represented by
Camera Press.
In 1967 Roy Strong appointed Argent the official
photographer for the National Photographic Record at the
National Portrait Gallery, and many famous faces were
exhibited at the gallery in 1972.
He was also the official photographer for the Royal Society,
and had a long-running assignment to produce portraits of
the stars of The Mousetrap as the cast changed. Argent
worked from studios in Queen's Gate and, later, in Holland
Street.
On honeymoon with his third wife in South Africa, Argent
became bored lying on the beach and wrote to 26 leading
South Africans offering to take their portraits. He hoped
that half would reply, but all accepted, and he returned for
a busy three weeks with 35 commissions.
Helen Suzman (the politician), Dr Christiaan Barnard (the
heart transplant surgeon), Alan Paton (author of Cry, The
Beloved Country), and Gary Player (the golfer) were amongst
his sitters. He took numerous photographs of the Prime
Minister, BJ Vorster, and insisted that opponents of
apartheid were included in his exhibition.
Argent also bought the archives of the portrait
photographers, Walter Bird and Baron.
In some respects Argent resembled the trendy photographers
depicted in the film, Blow Up, yet he never became a lasting
household name such as Lichfield or Bailey.
Godfrey Argent was married three times, first to Janet
Boniface, with whom he had three daughters; she died in
1970. He then married Anne Coxon, but they divorced in 1973.
He married, thirdly, Sally McAlpine, with whom he had
another daughter. That marriage was dissolved in 1990.